Ray of Light
by evieeden
Summary: To Thor, Jane shone brighter than any star in the sky. Advent fic for 18th December.


**Happy 18** **th** **December everyone. Today's offering is a Thor/Jane number, which was super hard to write as I do angst a lot better than I do fluff. Anyway, I hope you like it and thanks for reading. In case anyone is wondering, I don't speak astrophysicist either.**

 **R: Ray of Light - Madonna**

 **Ray of Light**

"Up. Hold it up!" Jane gestured towards Thor and he obligingly raised the metal contrption he was holding towards the storm brewing overhead. Perching on the edge of the telephone tower, he glanced up and summoned the raging clouds closer to their location.

Opposite him on the roof of a nearby building, Darcy did the same, rolling her eyes at his lover's enthusiasm before offering a commiserating grin.

Lightning crackled overhead and Darcy instinctively ducked, before straightening and sticking her tongue out at Thor as the electricity shattered the sky before darting down to where Mjolnir was resting beside him.

There was another crash of thunder and then a triumphant cry came from the three scientists scurrying around below.

"We're done here," Selvig's voice called out and Thor lowered the contraption before summoning Mjolnir and shooting across the sky to land on the same rooftop as Darcy. He passed her the measuring device and then held out his free arm to her.

"My lady." He bowed and she laughed before wrapping her own arm around his waist.

"Thank you, good Sir."

They landed on the ground seconds later and she gave him a sideways hug before bounding over to Ian, chattering about the thunderstorm he had summoned. Selvig walked past and clapped a hand against his shoulder, his eyes fixed on the tablet he was holding and whatever results they had gathered from the evening's events.

Jane finished scribbling in her notebook and then looked up at him, a blinding smile on her face.

"We got it," she announced breathlessly. "The results couldn't be clearer. We've got the proof at last."

Thor smiled at the wonder in her voice and opened his arms. She practically jumped at him, her arms locking around his neck and her legs coming up to encircle his waist.

"We did it!"

Thor pressed a light kiss against the tip of Jane's nose.

"Well done, my love."

She beamed at him and captured his mouth with hers. A sharp wolf whistle broke them apart and they turned to find the others waiting for them.

"Hey. Step on it," Darcy called. "I want to get back before the pubs close."

The five of them journeyed in the van back to the hotel where they were currently staying and Darcy and Ian immediately left to find a bar to take libations in while Erik headed for his room ,muttering about an early night.

Thor and Jane opted to eat in their room, before Jane dragged him into the shower with her with a sly wink. Hours later, she was fast asleep, worn out by both the excitement of succeeding in her work and their physical exertions.

Thor though wasn't ready to sleep just yet, his body needing less rest in order to recharge than hers.

Instead he lay quietly thinking, stroking Jane's hair back from her face as he did.

She was so beautiful to him, so bright.

He knew there were many still who did not understand their relationship, or the appeal of Jane to him, both here on Earth or in Asgard, but he would happily smite down any naysayers who claimed that she did not deserve him.

Jane was one of the best of people and he was lucky to have her.

It was curious how outsiders viewed their relationship though, and how much more accepting the people on Midgard were compared to the Aesir.

For those on this planet, it made perfect sense that a being from another cosmos would fall in love with an astrophysicist, although he was still not quite sure how this made them more compatible than the average couple.

On Asgard though… Well, there were those who quailed at seeing their Crown Prince in love with a commoner, and a human commoner at that. They considered the species to be simple and primitive in their understanding and desires, and while it was true that Earth was behind Asgard in terms of development, Jane and indeed many of the other humans on the planet, were some of the smartest beings he had every encountered.

Most of the court were also horrified at the prospect of Jane eventually becoming their queen when Thor eventually took the throne. For years there had been rumours and whispers about who would be his bride with many ladies presenting their daughters of varying ages and attractiveness to him, yet despite this it had been assumed by many that Thor was just having his fill of attention from the young maidens of the realm before he would eventually settle down with the Lady Sif. After all, she was the only female, besides his mother, that he was seen in regular contact with.

It would never work between them though. He and Sif were far too alike in nature to ever match well in matrimony. They were good friends who understood each other – although he was not as oblivious as he liked to pretend as to her barely concealed feelings towards him – but if he were to wed her, it would be for political reasons, rather than for love.

If there was one thing that Thor, and Loki also, had learnt from their mother, it was that love was greater and more valued by Yggdrasil than any notion of politics or convenience.

The Aesir may not understand it, but Thor was determined to live by his mother's edict. He loved Jane, and he would continue to love her despite the disapproval their union provoked.

Besides the Allfather had given them his blessing, and his was the opinion that mattered, even if he…wasn't quite himself… at the present time.

Thor may not have been as naturally sharp as Loki in his studies, but he wouldn't have been in line to the throne if he hadn't possessed some intelligence. His father, for all that he loved him, would never have allowed Thor to defer his crowning for the sake of a mortal if he was in the right state of mind.

Besides, his father's face had never twisted itself into that particular smirk before, and his brother had already proved himself particularly adept at cheating death.

So it was with his family's blessing that he returned to Jane. It was strange to think that even five years past, he would not have thought himself capable of this kind of feeling.

He loved the way she tried so hard to be the best she could be. He loved the brightness of her smile and how her eyes lit up when she made a discovery in her work or when she caught sight of him. He loved the conversations they would have about Asgard and space and the Avengers and his family.

She was the only person he knew who understood exactly why his missed the closeness he used to share with his brother. She allowed him to mourn for his past without judgment and wrapping herself around him in comfort, would cry along with him for the losses they had suffered.

She had faults, of course, as did any person. She could become absorbed in her work to the exclusion of everything else and, after having worked alone and unsupported for so long, she struggled with having people around her, becoming snappy and irritable at times.

But she understood him, in a way no-one else could. For all her forgetfulness and passion and desire to achieve more. For all the times she forgot dinner or got excited over the child's toys he brought her from Asgard. For all the times she got dressed up and stayed by his side as he conversed with representatives of Midgard. For all the times he ended up on a roof or in the middle of the desert, some kind of calibrating equipment in hand as she barked instructions at him.

She knew him like no-one else. They fit.

She was a bright shining spark in the darkness that had permeated his existence ever since Loki had made the fateful move of inviting Laufey into his vault during his aborted coronation. She kept him going through his banishment, through reclaiming Mjolnir, through mending the Bifrost, through the Battle of New York, through his mother's and then his brother's deaths and then through his fight with Malekith.

She studied the stars, but in his eyes she shone brighter than any he had ever seen.

He pressed a kiss to the crown of her head and she suddenly bolted upright, wide awake.

"We need to track the lights."

She jumped out of bed and began tugging on whatever clothes she could find nearby, including a pair of his jeans.

"Jane?" He was used to her swift changes of thought, but this was sudden and unusual even for her.

"I've just remembered that the Northern Lights are overhead tonight. If we alter the parameters of the spectrometer, we can get some amazing cross-readings to support the readings from tonight."

She turned around, suddenly noticing that Thor wasn't moving.

"Are you coming?"

He looked at the dark, night sky out the window and back to Jane, wearing mismatched clothes, her hair half-sticking up and tangled, her eyes far too wide considering she had been sleeping not two minutes earlier.

She was a dishevelled mess, but still beautiful…still bright.

"Of course."

He would follow his shining star anywhere.


End file.
